BETTER ONE AP LIT glossary terms

the inclusion of humor to contrast with tragic elements

a break or pause within a line of poetry indicated by punctuation

a verbal approximation of a sensory impression, concept, or emotion

writing that reflects a personal image of a character, event or concept

type of poetry which explores philosophical ideas via metaphors

one who carries out the action in a literary work

a lengthy, elevated poem celebrating the exploits of a hero

the pleasant, mellifluous presentation of sounds

a poem that tells a story

a work that functions on a symbolic level

a device that enables a writer to refer to past thoughts and events

a poem that laments the dead or another loss

a brief reference to a well-known person, event, or work

a metrical foot consisting of an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one.

the interpretive level of a word based on its associated images 

the speaker of a literary work

the total effect of related sensory images in a work of literature

when a poetic line is not end-stopped

words spoken by an actor intended to be heard by the audience but not other characters

background information presented in a literary work

a type of lyric poem which extols the virtues of an ideal place or time

a pattern of beats in poetry

a brief, witty poem

an eight-line stanza

the repetition or variations of an image or idea

a foot of poetry consisting of a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables

a traditional aspect of a literary work

a simple, symbolic story, often with animal characters

a simple narrative poem that is written in quatrains, generally with a rhyme scheme of abcd

direct address in poetry: "O, west wind..."

the author's choice of words

a formal, lengthy poem that celebrates a particular subject

poetry without a defined form, meter or rhyme scheme

when characters inhabit a reality different from what we consider the objective world

a metrical pattern: unstressed, unstressed, stressed

a clash between opposing forces

the release of emotion that the audience of a tragedy experiences

background information presented in a literary work

a metrical unit in poetry; a syllabic measure of a line

a type of poetry characterized by emotion, personal feelings, and brevity

the turning point of action or character in a literary work; the highest moment of tension

harsh or discordant sounds in a literary work

unrhymed iambic pentameter

an unexpected contrast between what happens and what was expected to happen

devices which enable writers to operate on levels other than the literal

"the god from the machine" 

one who opposes the protagonist

a poem that depicts a conversation between the speaker and an implied listener

"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers"

a direct comparison between dissimilar things

extreme exaggeration (for effect)

two lines of rhyming poetry

a love poem set at dawn which bids farewell to the beloved

a representative term is used for a larger idea

a speech given by one character

the conclusion or resolution in a literary work

the literal meaning or dictionary definition of a word